Protective apparatus for athletes



May 5, 1931. D. LEvlNsoN 1,803,335

PRoTETIyE APPARATUS FOR ATHLETES Filed June 22. 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 illllll Y Q" A? @Awww @AAA Awe@ May 5, 1931- D. LEvlNsoN u 1,803,335

. PROTECTIVE APPARATUS FORATHLETES Filed June 22, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l ff, Illluugggw/ d? @@@my 7 "1111.1 414/4/ 'f f. 'I Il f l t l n diff/,4

i Patented May 5,1931

uNiTlazD lsfrATfEsj PATENT'OFICFE pAvID LEvINsoN, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; AssIGNoIt'ro WILSON-WESTERN SPORTING GOODS COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A coRPOIA'rION OEDELAWARE PROTECTIVE A.APIEARAJJUSil ATI-ILETES original application nledrebruary 14, 1927, serialfnokisasre. niviaea and thisfappncauqn md :une

, 22, 192s,V serialVV Nq. 287,497.' Y u invention relates to protective ,appara-l tus for athletes, being more particularly concerned with the provision of protective harness for footballV layers.

- One of the ,obJects of my invention is the provision of a unitary protective harness for football players which may be supported upon the body ofthe player independently of football trousers or other garments, but

which is also composed of novel elements whichmay` be either worn separately or in 'conjunction with the` various other parts ofV the harness. i y v Anotherobj ect of` my invention is the prol5 vision of a novel reinforced guard for football players, particularly adapted for protecting. the thighl and having meansfor supporting said guardV independently of the harness or trousers. Y

Another object of my invention is the provision of such a thigh guard having novel reinforcing means comprising a tensionv member which is light in weight, cheaply manu,- factured, and which does not require padding 2,5 or other means onV the reinforcing itself to prevent injury to players. v

, -Another object of my invention is the prio-V vision of a novel unitary protective Vharness for football playersincluding al girdle with ,3.0 adjustable means for securing the .upper part of said Vgirdle about the body of the player, a common means for bothvadju'stably.y securing the Vlower .part of the Vgirdle about the Vhips of the wearer and for securing the same to a pair of thigh guard supports. Y

Other objects and advantages of myinvention will be apparent from the following description and from the accompanying draw; ings,in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

The present application is a division of prior application, Serial No. 167,976,='1iled February 14th, '1927, for' Protective appara- 4,5 tus for athletes, in which the claims are directed to thenovel thigh guard and its sup? port. Y y A. Y

Thejpresent application relates to the football harness as a' whole, and, to the girdlein particular, Y

i Referring l.to 'the are two sheets:

drawings, of which there A VFigure l is a front elevationaliview of an embodiment of my football harness,

Figure@ is a rearV elevational view of the same,V

- Figure?) is an elevational view of the girdle i portion spread outto form a fiat surface,

Figure i is `a similar View of the inside Vof the girdle portion,v i,

of the line 5-5 of Figure 4,

I AFigure 6 is a similar viewof the line Y ..59 Figure 5 is a detailed cross sectional-view support from other garments, suchrvas, trousers, etc., and my harness is preferably worn underneath football trousers which maybe adapted to t the wearer very`closelyhav ing no` additional padding, projecting parts or loose folds of fabric which may be grasped l' b y Opponents duringthe play.- If desired, the

trousers may be made of closely fitting fabric which issmooth andrslipperyto the "touch,

vthereby aiding `the player in eluding'the grasp of his opponents.

Referring to Figure l, l1 indicates a girdle portionrwhich is adapted to be drawn closely about the body of the player by means of the strap 12 and by the adjustable lacing at 13.

vAttached to the girdle 11, but supported independently upon, the limbs of the player by means of an elastic band 14, are the thigh guard supporters 15 having a pocket therein to support the thigh guards 16; 1 Supported at the lower edge of the thigh guard supporters 1,5 `are the knee pads `17, and it will be noted that'while all of these `partsare essential to a completeprotectiveharness, any of the same may beworn separately, ifsodesired, by 1he Y provision of separateA means for Vsupportin g each of the same upon the body of the wearer.

For this purpose the trousers maybe provided with a transverse Yracew'ay consisting of are having a pluralit/'eiseres essere located at proper height within the trousers to attach the pads 17 by means of the usual lacing. The trousers may also be provided with a pocket in front of each knee which is adapted to receive the knee pad 17, thereby providing separate supporting means for each of the elements of the harness.

Having briefly outlined the different parts of my harness, I shall now describe in detail each of these elements which, though separable, I prefer to use together, each of the elem-ents co-operating with the other to better hold the'h'arn'ess'in' place upon the body of the wearer. l l l The girdle portion 1l comprises athick piece of felt of the shape shown in Figure 3, which is adapted to extend almost entirely about the trunk of the player, leaving a slight opening between the edges in front as shown in Figure l. The girdle 11 has two downwardly extending legs 18 which have outwardly projecting portions 19 at each side so that the portions 19 may overlap when the harness is worn, the apertures 20 providing an adjustable fasteningnieans for the lower portion of the girdle.

In order to provide adequate protection for the upper and forward points of the hipbones or ilia, the girdle 11 is provided at 2l and 22 with shields comprising substantially circular pieces of thick leather which may be stitched to the girdle 11 at such points as to locate these shields directly above the upper and forward points of the hip-bones or ilia. It will thus be observed that the location of the waistline is substantially at the seam 23 and that the girdle 11 is adapted to extend upward to a point considerably above the lower ribs. Y

The upper portion of the girdle 11 is preferably covered with a layer of strong and closely woven fabric as at 24 extending completely across the upper portion of the girdle 11, the fabric being turned under and stitched to the-felt as at 23 and turned about the eX- terior edge of the felt as at 25 where the edge of the fabric may again be folded under and fixed to the felt by stitching through both the felt and the fabric on both sides of it.

In order to provid-e additional protection for the back and the base of the spine, the girdle may havev a downwardly projecting portion 26 bounded by the V shaped edges 27 which permit a maximum of flexibility to the limbs of the wearer, so that the harness may protect these parts without binding upon the player. Extending over the upper central portion of the girdle to the downwardly projecting portion 26 is another leather shield 28 of substantially blunt wedge shape having rounded corners 29 and intermediate rounded edges 30.

In order toprovide additional padding to distribute the impact of blows received upon w the shield, I provide a felt pad 3l which may Y the felt 33.

rIhe upper girdle portion 24 may also be provided with a'pair ofoblong leather shields 36 and 37 extending from a point adjacent the wedge shaped shield 28 to a point near the joined edges of the girdle. The shields 36 and 37 are particularly adapted to protect the lower ribs of the player and they are also preferably provided with afelt pad 38 of slightlysmaller size, but of similar shape, and having beveled edges 39, the pad 38 being preferably inserted between the fabric 2'4 and the leather shield 36 andretained therein by the stitching about the edges of the shields 36 and 37.

By providing the shields 2l and 22, 28, 36 and 37 of thick leather, the relatively stiff character of the shield distributes the force of the impact over a substantial area and while the flexible qualities of the leather permit the wedge shaped shield 28 to curve inwardly to lit the back of the wearer and the shields 36 and 37 are also Idisposed in such manner that they may curve inwardly about the trunk of the wearer, leaving no projecting parts to form surfaces upon which an opponent may grasp the player. It should be not-ed thatl though the harness is worn beneath other garments, it is important nevertheless that the harness lit closely about the body of the wearer without tending to project at points or causing the garments to project over the body.

The separation'of the upper shields 28, 36 and 37 into the three parts of this shape permits a greater flexibility at the points 40 between the shields so that the upper portion of the girdle may conform closelj7 to the body of the player. The provision of beveled edge padding beneath the leather shields further tends to distribute the force of impact upon the shields and to provide additional protection where needed'and the pad is preferably inserted between the fabric and the shield in order that the fabric may further reinforce the felt girdle, the tendency of which is to bulge inwardly as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

The `girdle may be provided upon one of the upper edges with va perforated strap 41 and upon the other edge with the buckle 42 supported by means of a. strap 43 and shielded from the bpdy by a flexible leather tab 44. The leather tab 44 mayfbe padded upon its rear side with a layer of felt secured to the same by an exterior line of stitching 45 and the tab 44 and strap 43 'as well as the strap `41`may each' be secured yto the girdle by stitching under the shields 37 and`36 respectively and by rivets 46 and 47. The riv-V the shields 36 and 37 this force is distributed over a substantial area of the girdle, thereby making a very durable and lasting construction.

The girdle llis provided at each of the lower legs 18 withan internal strip of strong, closely woven fabric 48 and upon the exterior side with a pair of strips of the same material 49 and 50 upon each leg. All of the strips maybe fixed upon the felt 33 by four lines of stitching as at 51.' The fabric and felt may then be pierced at spaced intervals along the strips 49 and 50 and provided with standard eyelets 52 in such manner as to provide a plurality of reinforced apertures at re, ,ularV ly spaced intervals for the purpose of lacing the lower legs of the girdle to the thigh guard supporters which are described hereinafter.

The thigh guard supporter comprises aV pocket formed from a plurality of pieces of strong, closely woven fabric, having elastic tension means 14, secured to both edgesv of the pocket for holding the saine closely upon the limb of the player. Y

The pocket is provided with thigh guard 16 comprising a curved fibre member, reinforced and protected in a novelmanner, which is completely described in my prior application above mentioned.

rIhe upper two edges of the pockets are provided with a plurality of eyelets, registeringV with the eyelets 52 of the girdle, and the girdle may be secured about the hips of the player and adjustablysecured to the thigh guard pockets by the same lacing passing through the eyelets on the girdle andthigh guard pocket. Y Y

The thigh guard supporter is thus capable of being independently supported upon the leg of the player by the elastic 14, and when the upper'edge of the thigh guard supporter is laced to the girdle 11 by means of the apertures 52, the thigh guard supporter performs the additional function of holding down the girdle, which might otherwise tend to slideV upward; Y

The double rows of apertures 52fprovide adjustable means for the relative positions of the girdle and thigh guard supporter, as well as providing adjustable means for securing the girdle about the hips, and the apertures S5 at the lower edge of the thigh guard supporter provide means for supporting the knee pads '17. q The same' lacing 86 which attaches the thigh guard' supporter to the girdle 11 also serves to close the end of the pocket, thereby retaining the thigh guard in fixed position within the pocket.

While I prefer to support my thigh guards as shown, I desire it to be understood that the guards may also be supported in pockets upon the Vfootball trousers, or4 the football trousers may be provided with raceways, consisting of strips of tape, having eyelets, and the Vpocket being likewise provided with eyelets along the sideV seams of the pocket, the pocket maybe laced tothe inside of the trousers. Ifdesired, the elastic Y56A may aisobe made adjust# able by substituting inappropriate raceway for one of the seams, sothat'the tension of the elastic may bel adjusted by lacing.

' The knee pads 17 comprise thick felt mem bers, Vhaving a reinforcing padontheir forward surface, as shown, andhaving fabric stitched to their rear Asurface to form a pocket for holding additional padding to suit the individual needs of the player. The knee pad pocket is also closed, `and the knee pad secured to the thigh guar-d supporter by lacing 97, and as the linee pads themselves form the subject of a divisional application, they will notbe described in det-ail herein. j

lt will thusbe observed'that I have invented a novel flexible protective harness for football players, which is adapted to fit ,closely upon the body o f the player, and to conform i to the curvatureV of the body.

vMy football harness may be worn beneath relatively tight 'football .garmentslwithout producing any projections, or the like, which may be grasped by theopponents during the play. Y

`l/Vhile Iliave illustrated vand described a specific embodiment of myinvention, many Y modifications maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not ,swish to' be limited to the precise details of the construction set forth, but desir-e to avail myself of 'all changes within the scope of the app-ended claims. j i

Having thus described my invention, what I'claim'is new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent` is:

l. A protective harness for football players comprising a girdle formed of an integral pieceV of vthick felt, and adapted to extend about the trunk of a player. from points below the hips to points above the lower ribs, a strap. for drawing the upper part of said girdle in` to conform with the waist of the wearer, a plurality of pieces of thick and flexible leather Vstitched on said felt'to protect the vital parts of the player,and adjustable means for securing the lower part of 4said girdle together closely about the hips, the intermediate parts of said girdle between the top and bottom being unsecured, 1

2. A protective harness forf football players comprising a girdle formed of an integral piece of thick felt, and adapted to extend about the trunk of a player Jfrom points below the hips to points above the lower ribs, a strap -i''or drawing the upper part of said girdle in to conform with the waist of the wearer, said girdle being formed with downwardly extending integral leg protecting extensions and a downwardly extending integral spine protecting extension separated at its end from said leg extensions, a pair of kidney pads car ried by the upper outside of said girdle, and a spine pad located between said kidney pads `and having inwardly curved edges ladjacent said kidney pads. Y j

3. A protective harness for football players comprising a girdle formed of an integral piece of thick felt, and adapted to extend about the trunk of a player from points below the hips to points above the lower ribs, a strap for drawing the upper part of said girdle in to conform with the waist or the wearer, said girdle being formed with downwardly extending integral leg protecting extensions and a downwardly extending integral spine protecting extension separated at its end from said leg extensions, a pair of kidney pads carried by the upper outside of said girdle, a spine pad located between said kidney pads and having inwardly curved edges adjacent said kidney pads, and a pair of hip socket joint pads, one located below each of said kidney pads, carried by said girdle.

4. A protective harness for football players comprising a girdle formed of an integral piece of thick felt, and adapted to extend about the trunk of a player from points below the hips to points above the lower ribs, a strap for drawing the upper part of said girdle in to coliform with the waist of the wearer, a plurality of pieces of thick and flexible leather stitched on said felt to protect the vital parts of the player, and adjustable means for securing the lower part of said girdle together closely about the hips, the intermediate parts spine pad located between said kidney pads and having inwardly curved edges adjacent said kidney pads, and tapered i'elt pads interposed between and confined by said girdle and kidney pads.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 6th of June, 1928.

DAVID LEVINSON.

of said girdle between the top and bottom being unsecured, comprising oppositely projecting overlapping extensions formed on the lower front of said girdle and provided with lacings.

5. A protective harness for football players comprising a girdle formed of an integral piece `of thick felt, and adapted to extend about the trunk of a player from points below the hips to points above the lower ribs, a strap for drawing the upper part of said girdle in to conform with the waist of the wearer, said girdle being formed with downwardly extending integral leg protecting extensions and a downwardly extending int-egral spine protecting extension separated at its end from said leg extensions, a pair of kidney pads carried by the upper outside of said girdle, a 

